Flying With a Baby: The Checklist
Three phases, and the published rule behind each item — so you know which ones are the airline's and which are just good sense.
By Ryder M. · Published September 27, 2026 · Last reviewed
The short answer
A week out: confirm the lap-child documentation your airline accepts, request a bassinet if the aircraft has one, and decide whether the baby gets a seat. At the airport: wear the carrier, allow an extra hour, keep liquids in one pouch. In the air: baby in arms for taxi, takeoff and landing; carrier back on at cruise.
Every item below has either a published airline rule behind it or a specific failure it prevents. This is the whole-trip version; for the bag itself see our travel diaper bag checklist, and for the gear across all categories see the gear list.
Phase 1 — a week before
Check what document your airline accepts as proof of age. This is the item most likely to actually stop you flying. Southwest publishes that original or photocopied government-issued identification is the only valid proof a child qualifies as a lap child — a passport, birth certificate or government-issued photo ID — and that screenshots, photos and immunization records are not accepted (southwest.com, read 2026-09-27). Print it.
Check the newborn minimum. Southwest publishes over 14 days for a lap child. American publishes that an infant under 7 days requires a call to Reservations. Neither is something to discover at a counter.
Decide whether the baby gets a seat. The FAA does not require a restraint but publishes that the safest place for a child under two is an approved CRS rather than a lap, and that buying a ticket is the only way to guarantee you can use one (faa.gov, read 2026-09-27). Our car seat on a plane guide lays out the decision.
Request a bassinet, if the aircraft can take one. Delta publishes SkyCots for children under 25 lb and up to 26 in on widebody flights, two per aircraft. American publishes 777 and 787 aircraft only. Ask early and plan for not getting one — see airplane bassinets.
Sort the sleep surface at the destination. Confirm a hotel crib in writing, rent one, or pack one. Improvising at bedtime on night one is the most common way a trip goes wrong — see do hotels provide cribs.
Practice the stroller fold and the carrier fit. Both, until they are automatic. Neither should be learned in a queue.
Phase 2 — at the airport
Add an hour. A family through a security lane is slower than a single traveler by more than you expect, and none of it can be hurried.
Wear the carrier from the curb. Both hands free for everything else. TSA does not normally require you to take a baby out of a carrier at a standard lane, though additional screening is possible — our airport security guide covers it.
Use the free child-item allowance. Southwest publishes one stroller and one car seat free per ticketed customer, checkable at curb, counter or gate (southwest.com, read 2026-09-27). American publishes free gate check for a stroller when traveling with a child and a free 25 lb checked bag for an infant.
Empty your pockets before the lane, not at the belt. You cannot do it one-handed with a baby on you.
Liquids in one pouch, declared. Formula, breast milk and baby food are screened separately in the US and can exceed the normal limits, but they have to come out.
Decide on the bin before you board. If the stroller folds small enough, board early and use a bin. If not, bag it and gate-check it — see gate-checking a stroller.
Phase 3 — in the air
| Phase | The baby | The carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding | In the carrier | On — both hands free |
| Seated, before pushback | Out of the carrier | Unclipped, left on your body or in the seat pocket |
| Taxi, takeoff, climb | In your arms; feed or offer a pacifier for ear pressure | Not permitted |
| Cruise | Carrier or bassinet if you have one | On, if it helps them sleep |
| Turbulence | In your arms | Follow crew instructions |
| Descent and landing | In your arms; feed or pacifier again | Not permitted |
The taxi, takeoff and landing restriction is published by Southwest as an FAA safety requirement, read 2026-09-27. Cabin crew have final authority at any point.
What we’d skip
Elaborate activity kits. One new small thing produced at hour three beats a bag of familiar toys at hour one.
Full-size bottles of anything. Decant. Dead weight and a screening delay.
Planning around a bassinet you have not been confirmed for. Two per aircraft, on the carriers that publish a number.
For the days after you land, see baby jet lag.
Questions parents actually ask
What do I actually need to fly with a baby?
A proof-of-age document the airline accepts, a diaper bag sized to fit as your personal item, a carrier you can buckle one-handed, and a plan for the sleep surface at the other end. Everything else is optimization. Southwest is the strictest on documentation: original or photocopied government-issued ID only, not a photo on a phone.
How early should I get to the airport?
Add an hour to whatever you would normally allow. The time goes on the security lane — a stroller and a car seat both have to be screened, liquids for a baby are screened separately, and none of it can be rushed. Our airport security guide walks through the sequence.
Should I board early or late?
Early, if family pre-boarding is offered — bin space is finite and a stroller needs a lot of it. The counter-argument is time in a seat with a baby, which is real. If your stroller is small enough to go in a bin, board early; if it is getting gate-checked anyway, boarding late costs you nothing.
What do I do during takeoff?
Hold the baby in your arms. Carriers and wraps cannot be used for taxi, takeoff or landing — Southwest publishes this explicitly and every US carrier applies the same FAA rule. Feeding or offering a pacifier during the climb helps with ear pressure.
What is the one thing people forget?
A change of top for the adult. Everyone packs a spare outfit for the baby; the parent who gets covered at 30,000 feet wears it for the rest of the flight.
Sources
- Southwest Airlines — traveling with an infant — read 2026-09-27
- Southwest Airlines — stroller and child items policy — read 2026-09-27
- Southwest Airlines — lap child documentation — read 2026-09-27
- American Airlines — traveling with children — read 2026-09-27
- Delta Air Lines — infant travel — read 2026-09-27
- FAA — does the FAA require children on commercial flights to be in child restraint systems? — read 2026-09-27
- United Airlines — carry-on bags — read 2026-09-27
Every figure on this page traces to one of the sources above. Airline policies and manufacturer specs change without notice — check the primary source before you rely on a number.
Read next
- Flying With a Baby
Airline by airline: lap infants, bassinets, gate checks and what you are allowed to carry on.
- Travel Diaper Bag Checklist
What goes in a diaper bag for a flight, in the order you will need it, plus what to leave out.
- Can You Wear a Baby Carrier on a Plane?
Yes at cruise, no during taxi, takeoff and landing. The published rule, why it exists, and what to do instead.
- Gate-Checking a Stroller
What gate check means, what the airlines publish, where the stroller comes back, and how to stop it arriving broken.
- Baby Jet Lag
Light, a dark sleep space and routine are the levers you have — plus the safe sleep rules that do not relax on a trip.
- Best Travel Cribs for Flying
Cribs realistic to fly with, ranked on weight, packed dimensions and whether you can carry them hands-free.
More in Flying With a Baby, or start from the front page.